Shoulder and back bracing chair



(No Model.)

L. HARVEY .8v J. AMOS.

SHOULDER AND BACK BRAGING CHAIR. No. 567,096. Patented Sept. 1, 1896.

FIG. 2.

FIG. 3

UNITED STATES PATENT EEICSE.I

LEOPOLDINA HARVEY AND JACOB AMOS, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

SHOULDER AND BACK BRACING'CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 567,096, datedSeptember 1, 1896.

Application iled August 9, 1894. Serial No. 519,811. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern: y

Be it known that we, LnoPoLDINA HARVEY and JACOB AMOS, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles andState of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Shoulder and Back Bracing Chairs, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact specification.

Our invention relates to certain improvements in chairs provided withshoulder-bracing appliances, secured to certain movable parts, held inand supported by the back of said chairs, the said movable parts alsocarrying a vertically adjustable shoulder-cushion, and also anothervertically adjustable cushion at the lower part of the movable portionsof said back, so as to raise or lower the cushion last referred to tocorrespond with and support the small of the back of the person sittingor to sit in it.

Our improvements are especially applicable to piano-stools, type-writerschairs, and may also be fitted into carriages or other supporting orcarrying apparatus used for treating idiots and insane persons when itis desired to have them sit in an upright position.

Our improvements may also be applied to seats in schools and otherplaces where pupils and other persons are sedentarily employed in orderto hold such persons in upright positions.

The accompanying drawings illustrate our invention.

Figure 1 is afront elevation of the back of the chair fitted with ouraforesaid improvements. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same parts of thechair, looking at it from the rear. Fig. 3 is an end elevation, showingthe top and bottom rails in section, corresponding with Figs. l and 2.Fig. ais ahorizontal View on alarger scale than Figs. l, 2, and 3,showing the top sliding bar and connections for carrying the adjustableshoulder bracing parts of ourinvention. Fig. 5is an elevation looking atthe rear of the parts represented in Fig. 4 and on the same scale asFig. 4. Fig. 6 is an end elevation corresponding with Fig. 5.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the parts constituting the sides of the chair-backare marked A,

From the example shown as Figs. 2 and 3 of the mode of applying ourimproved shoulder and back bracing chair-back to a musicstool it willreadily be seen how' the same is, can, or may be applied to atype-writers chair or to a carriage or other seat wherein it is desiredto give support to the shoulders or back of the person or personsoccupying the same.

At the central part of this chair-back there is provided the lshaft E,its pivots being held in and by the upper and lower rails B and B,respectively. The shaft E is by preference formed flat, as shown in thedrawings, and in its normal position the flatfront and back thereofcorrespond with the plane of the chair-back, in which position it ismaintained by the pressure of the spring F, Figs. 2 and 3, attached tothe back of the chair by screws, as shown. The pressure of the flatspring F against the flat shaft E may be varied as required by slidingthe plate X between the spring F and the hat shaft E and fastening theplateX in any required position by means of the thumb-screw Y. When theshaft E has moved upon its axis into an abnormal position, the pressureof the flat spring F against the flat face of the shaft causes the shaftand the parts carried by it to return to their normal positions. At thelower part of the shaft E the rectangular frame Gr is carried, beingfirmly fixed thereto.

The two side bars G of the frame G constitute the slides, over or uponwhich grooves in the rectangular back Hof the'cushion H iit, so as toadmit of the cushion H being slid upward or downward upon the frame Gand G.

The bar E is formed at its lower part, where the frame G G' is situated,with a slot G. Through this slot the thumb-screw I passes, and bytightening the thumb-screw into the IOO back H of the cushion H thecushion H is fixed in any vertical position required.

The shoulder-cushion is marked J, and it is carried upon a bracket K,(shown more particularly in Fig. 3,) provided with a thumbscrew L,passing through the back part of the bracket K. By loosening thethumb-screw L the cushion J can be removed altogether from the shaft E,or by tightening the thumb-screw L the cushion J is fixed at anyrequired height on the shaft E, corresponding to the figure of theperson to be braced and supported in the chair or other seat to whichour invention is applied. A sliding bracket M is attached to the upperpart of the shaft E, and is provided with a thumb-screw N at the backthereof, wherebyit is tightened at any required height upon the shaft E.To this bracket M there is attached a horizontal bar O, and upon thisbar O there are a pair of sliding blocks P, connected together by thebar Q. rlhese blocks P, together with the connecting-bar Q, are capableof sliding horizontally to the right or left upon the bar O and are ofsuch a length that the blocks P at either end will not pass over orbecome disengaged from the bar O. To these sliding blocks P are attachedchains, as shown at Figs. l and 3, and to these chains R theshoulder-bracin g straps S are connected, as seen at Figs. l and 3,being provided with a loop T and button T', respectively, at theirextremities for the purpose of connecting the straps S at the front ofthe body of the occupant of the chair.

The straps S have snap-hooks attached to them in the ordinary manner,and by which snap-hooks the straps S are engaged with any one of thelinks of the chains R, according to the length of the shoulder-straps Sfrom time to time required, which, as herein explained, varies,according to the size of the person occupying or about to occupy thechair. The said snap-hooks are of a size and construction correspondingto snap-hooks frequently used in harness and other constructions ofleather and cordage for uniting together and disconnecting the partsfrom each other from time to time, as required, and, forming no part ofthe present invention, are not specifically shown in the annexeddrawings, the constructions of such snap-hooks being common and so wellunderstood.

It will be seen that by reason of the lower back-bracing cushion H, theshoulder-supporting cushion J, and the shoulder-bracing straps S beingall connected to the shaft E they are all movable together relativelywith the said shaft E, pivotally, corresponding with the movements tothe right or left of the occupant of the chair, and also by virtue ofthe thumb-screws I, L, and N they are vertically adjustable,respectively. Each one of these supporting-pieces can be adjustedvertically and in a position corresponding to the shape and size ofdifferent persons who may require to occupy the same chair or seat.

Having now described the nature of our said invention or improvementsand the manner of carrying the same into practical effect, what weconsider novel and original, and therefore desire to secure to us byLetters Patent, is as follows:

l. In a shoulder and back bracing chair, the chair-back frame and itsrails having pivotal bearings for the central shaft, the dat centralshaft supported in said pivotal bearings at the center of the upper andlower rails of the chair-back; the iat spring pressing against one endof, and controlling the iiat central shaft; the sliding plate forcontrolling the iiat spring; the set-screw for holding the sliding platein an adjusted position, all operated so as to cause the return of thesaid movable, or pivoted fiat central shaft toits normal position, whenthe said shaft is urged from that position by the movement of the personoccupying the chair, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the chair-back frame, the flat central shaft, thetwo adjustable cushions upon the flat central shaft, the pivotalbearings for the flat central shaft at the center of the upper and lowerrails of the chair-back, the flat spring pressing against one end of andcontrolling the fiat central shaft, the sliding plate for controllingthe fiat spring, the set-screw for holding the sliding plate in anadjusted position, all operating together so as to cause the return ofthe said movable or pivotal flat central shaft and the two adjustablecushions to their normal position when the said shaft is urged from thatposition by the movements of the person occupying the chair,substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with a chair, stool, or equivalent seat, of theapparatus, consisting of the movable chair-back; the Iiat central shaftpivoted in the upper and lower rail of the chair-back; the adjustablesliding crossbar, carried horizontally at the upper part of the centralshaft; the shoulder-straps and snap-hooks; the chains attached to thesliding cross-bar for engaging the snap-hooks with the shoulder-bracingstraps at the upper part of the iiat central shaft; the lower adjustablecushion carried at the lower part of the iiat central shaft; the flatspring pressing against one end of and controlling the flat shaft; thesliding plate for controlling the flat spring; the set-screw for holdingthe sliding plate in an adjustable position, all operating together inand for the purposes substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we, the said LEO- PoLniNA HARVEY and JACOB AMos,have hereunto set our hands this 26th day of May, 18S-i.

LEOPOLDINA HARVEY. JACOB AMOS.

lVitnesses:

E. N. BROWN, Sr. JOHN DAY.

IOO

